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Digestive Health

Food Triggers, Immune Dysregulation, and Autoimmunity

By Chad Larson, NMD, and Mark R. Engelman, MD

We hear a lot these days about the impact of diet for boosting immunity. While it is true that carrots, kale, or oranges are good sources of immunity-boosting phytochemicals, it is also true that foods—even ‘healthy’ foods– can also cause immune dysregulation or autoimmune disorders in some patients. Compounds—especially dietary proteins– within ordinary foods, are […]

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Microplastics & the Microbiome: A Complex Interaction

By Erik Goldman

If you’ve seen the classic 1967 film, The Graduate, you’ll surely remember the infamous party scene in which family friend Mr. McGuire offers bewildered young Ben Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) a bit of career advice: “I just want to say one word to you…..just one word,” says McGuire. “Are you listening? Plastics! There’s a great future […]

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Leveraging the Power of Probiotics To Treat Liver Disease

By Erik Goldman

Probiotics could be an important piece of the therapeutic puzzle for people with hepatic cirrhosis and other forms of progressive liver disease. Research from around the world is shedding light on the so-called “gut-liver axis” and the ways in which the gut microbiome affects liver function, both negatively and positively.  This work opens up promising […]

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FODMAPS & IBS: Don’t Throw the Baby Out with the Bathwater

By Sally LaMont, ND. LAc

What do apples, onions, hummus, and ice cream have in common? They’re all rich in FODMAPs: a set of short-chain carbohydrates that can set off the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), such as bloating, gas, cramping, constipation and/or diarrhea. Short-term adherence to FODMAP-free diets can be very effective in reducing the symptom burden associated […]

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“Next-Generation” Microbes & Probiotics for Metabolic & Immune Health

By Erik Goldman

The gut microbiome exerts profound influence on immunological and metabolic health.   Recent research points to two “next generation” microbes– Akkermansia muciniphila and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii –as especially important metabolically and immunologically. In healthy people, these organisms are plentiful.  But they are found at much lower levels in people with obesity and other metabolic and inflammatory diseases. […]

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The Future of Probiotics

By Erik Goldman

“It’s hard to develop new probiotics. It takes a lot of work, and a lot of expertise,” says Wesley Morovic, leader of the Probiotic Genomics team at IFF, an international ingredient company that owns the Howaru brand of probiotics. From its humble beginnings as an offshoot of dairy production, the probiotics industry has evolved into […]

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Antibiotics at the Crossroads

By Erik Goldman

Antibiotics can sometimes be almost miraculous in their clinical impact. Over the last 70 years, since their introduction into routine medical practice, they’ve saved countless lives. But in many cases the benefits are much less dramatic or apparent. Further, there is increasing evidence that routine use of antibiotics can have long-term detrimental effects on human […]

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Paraprobiotics: A New Approach for Immune System Support

By Erik Goldman

The last decade’s worth of microbiome research has taught us that much of our “human” physiology is actually regulated by microorganisms in our digestive tracts.  It turns out that some of these organisms need not even be alive to exert their influence. Welcome to the world of paraprobiotics—an emerging category of health products containing heat-killed […]

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Improving Clinical Outcomes with Paraprobiotics

By Erik Goldman

Paraprobiotics could be just what your patients need for a better life. Pre- and probiotics have become mainstream solutions for improved overall wellbeing, but research has revealed that paraprobiotics–heat-killed probiotic strains–can also have very specific benefits. Paraprobiotics also deliver the added advantage of a longer shelf-life without the need for refrigeration. In this free webinar, […]

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Food-Induced Autoimmunity: Tips for Taming Immune System Anarchy

By Erik Goldman

Chronic systemic inflammation and autoimmune reactions underlying many common metabolic, digestive, respiratory, and musculoskeletal disorders. Delayed type food allergies and sensitivities are major drivers of inflammation. Left unchecked, allergies and sensitivities can lead to immune system “anarchy.” The challenge for clinicians is that sensitivity patterns are highly individualized, and many common foods which are not […]

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